Internal-combustion engine.



E. s. BULLARD @I v. Hf LEINER.

INTERNAL COIVIBUSTION ENGINE.

y APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 27; 19.15. 4 l ,l 89,669. Patented J lily 4, 1916.

31114444574 1511 V NM" IIIII IIIIII II II ATTORN YS ERNEST S. BULLARD ANI) VICTOR H. LEINER, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application mea september 27, 1915. serial Nb. 52,809.

ing, county of Ohio, and State of YVest Virginia, have invented certain new and useful 'Improvements in Internal-Combustion -Enlgines, of which the following is a spegi:

ication.

This invention relates broadly to internal combustion engines, and it has for its primary object to provide an engine in which.

piston valves are employed for controlling the inlet and the exhaust of the gases, securing greater etliciency with a minimum expenditure of waste energy.

'A further object isvto provide, in a gas engine, an exhaust valve of the piston type which is so located that it is directly acted upon by the exploding gas, and the impulse given thereto is communicated to the crankshaft, materially assisting .at the commencement 'of the power stroke in carrying over center the crank with which the associated power piston is connected.

`A still further object is to provide an engine having an inlet valve of piston type which is so arranged that .it'compresses ain in a pocket during the suction and compres- 30. acted upon by the rexpanding air during sion strokes of the power piston and is then the power stroke for further assisting in carrying said crank over center.

Another object is to provide a structure in which the power cylinder and a piston vvalve chamber are in open communication and in which a piston valve `operating in said chamber coperates with the power piston for compressing the charge.

.Another object within the contemplation yof the invention is to provide a valve construction and arrangement for gas engines which shall possess numerous and varied advantages over the-usual or common forms of spring-held puppet valves. v

j With these and other important objects in view,- the invention resides in the features y ofconstruction, arrangement of parts and combinations of elements which will hereinafter be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification, in which- Figure'l is a, vertical sectional 'ifiew of the invention showing the parts occupying the positions assumed at the commencement of the inletor suction Stroke; Figs. 2, 3 and parts at the beginning of the compression,

power and exhaust strokes. Fig. 2 further illustrates a slight modification; Fig. 5 is a partial section similar to Fig. l, illustrating a second modification; and Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line 6--6, Fig. 3.

Referring to said drawings, in which like designating characters distinguish like parts throughout the severalY views-1 indicates an engine cylinder in which reciprocates the usual power piston 2 connected to the crankshaft 3 by. the connecting rod 4 in the ordinary manner. Mounted on the crank-shaft at a suitable point is a gear 5 which meshes with suitably proportioned gears 6 and 7 fixed, respectively, on shafts 8 and 9 disposed parallel to said crank shaft and con'- nected by connecting rods 10 and 11 to piston valves 12 and 13 operating in cylindrical valve chambers 14 and 15 and controlling, respectively, the inlet and exhaust of gases. Said valve chambers are located at opposite sides of the cylinder. The admission of gas to the inlet valve chamber 14 is through a suitably located port 16, and said gas is thence preferably admitted to the explosion chamber 17 at the upper'end of the power cylinder 1 through. an upwardly inclined port or passage 18, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 anda. The exhaust valve chamber l5 is permanently in open communication at its upper end with the explosion chamber 17 for a purpose which will presently be eX- plained, and the exhaust gases pass from said chamberl through an appropriately located port 19 leading outward from said chamber 15.

As in the case ofpractically all gas enfact which renders necessary the employment" of the usual fly-wheel. In the present invention, due to the fact that the top of' the exhaust valve chamber 15 and the eX- plosion chamber 17 are in direct open communication, the explosion acts directly upon the exhaust piston valve 13, which is. at the moment beginning its downward movement, forcing the latter downward and consequently, assisting in large measure, through the intermediate connecting vrod 11 and gears 9 and 5, to carry the latter over said central position. Forfacilitating this action a spark-plug opening is prefer-A ably provided at a point directly over the vvalve chamber 15 so that the initial part of the explosion will occur directly over the Aexhaust valve 1,3, giving the latter an initial timed to'begin to openinletport 16, withthe beginning ci the suction stroke of the power piston and to close said port slightly- 'ollowing the beginning ot" the compression stroke of said piston, as sho-wn in Figs. 1

and 2, respectively; and the exhaust valve being also timedto 'begin to open exhaust port 19 near the end of the power stroke y of the piston and to close said port at the end of the exhaust stroke, as is best shownin Figs. 4 and 1, respectively.

The lower end of the inclined passage is disposediin the same horizontal plane lwith inlet port 16 andis consequently openedland closed simultaneously with the opening and closing of the latter, as is obvious. That portion of the inlet valve chamber 14 which lies above the plane of the port 16 constitutes a `pocket in which gas or air is compressed during that portion of the upward movement of the inlet valve 12 which occurs during the compression and explosion strokesof the power piston. The

. return movement of said valve which ocwaste of power in the operation ot the engine, which resides in that expended as aforesaid -in compressing the air in the pocket, is particularly recovered in returning the lvalve 12 and such recovery is had at a time when it is utilized in assisting the crank to which the power piston is connected to pass over'dead center, or the lowermost position assumed by said crank.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 2, the opposite sides of the device are. made symmetrical, the upper end of the inlet valve chamber 14 being in open communication with the explosion chamber 17 precisely asis the exhaust valve chamber 15.

While this construction may be employed,

is moving upward, as shown in Fig. 3.

lnthe modiiication illustrated in Fig. 5, the` inlet piston valve' 12'and the chamber v14: are omitted, in Which caseany ordinary such valves are held seated become weak Kform of puppet valve may be substituted, 1 as, for example, a spring-held valve 21 of puppet type, said valve being located in the cylinder head 24 at an appropriate point, as

directly over the explosion chamber 17.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention is free from many of the objectionable features found in` those types or' engines in which sleeve valves and' pupg pet valves are used, chief among such objectionable eaturesibeing that such valves require the expenditure of considerable force to effect their-opening, become stuck and donot readily permit proper scavenging; 'such valves are a source of unich noise and clatter, requiring frequent adjustment;' such valves and their seats collect carbon, become worn and consequently require frequent grinding; a'nd the springs by which and break. The valves of the present in-I vention are noiseless and positively driven, and permit free and unobstructed admission of live gases and exhaust of spent gases with a lminimum of energy wasted. Further,`it will be noted that ample splash lubrication for the piston valve is afforded by the structure shown.

As isiobvious, a second spark plug opening 23 may be provided v in the head '24 of the cylinder, as shown in'Fig, '1, so that two plugs may be employed whenY desired.

, 1; In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder,'a piston reciprocating therein, inlet and exhaust valve chambers located laterally of said cylinder, inlet 'and exhaust ports respectively provided in the ivallsor' said chambers, reciprocating piston valves in said chambers, the exhaust chamber being in permanent open communication with the cylinder above the limit of upward movement of its valve, and the inlet chamber being in communication with said cylinder ico through. a side-opening passage which is said passage being so locatedivith respect toI the inlet port that unobstructed communication is had therebetween over the extreme upper end of said valve throughout the suction stroke of the piston.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, a piston for reciprocating therein, inlet and exhaust valve chambers located laterally of said cylinder, the exhaust chamber being in permanent open communication with said cylinder above the limit of upward movement of said piston, reciprocating piston valves in said valve chambers, said chambers having ports in the outer walls thereof, the inlet valve chamber being in communication With said cylinder through a' passage leading from a point therein hor- Zontally alined with the port thereof, and means forsynchronously moving said valves to cover and uncover said ports, said passage being opened and closed respectively by the piston valve of the inlet chamber simultaneously with the opening and closing of the inlet ports.

3. aIn an internal combustion engine, a' powercylinder, a piston for reciprocating therein,`inlet and exhaust valve chambers' located laterally of said cylinder, the exhaust chamber having its upper end in permanent open communication with said cylinder above the limit of upward movemelij'of'said piston, unapertured reciprocating piston valves in said valve chambers,

lsaid chambers 'havingports in the outer walls thereof, the inlet valve chamber being in communication with the upper end of said cylinder through an inclined passage leading from a point therein horizontally alined with the port thereof, so that it is opened and closed by the piston simultaneously with the opening andthe closing of the inlet port, a pocket being 'formed in said inlet valve chamber above said alined passages wherein gas is compressed by upward movement of said piston valve f or forcibly, returning said valveto assist the power piston crank to pass over deadcenter.

4. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a power 'cylinder having an explosion chamber at the upper end thereof, of a piston for reciprocating in said cylinder, inlet and exhaust valve chambers located laterally with respect to said cylinder and having ports in the puter walls thereof below the level. of said explosion chamber, a piston' valve reciprocating in each of said chambers, means for Asynchronously moving said valves for covering and uncovering said ports, the exhaust chamber ha ving its upper endin open communication with said cylinder above the limit of upward movement of the piston to permit the valve to receive a downward impulse under the force oft-he'explosion, and an inclined passage for live gas leading into the upper end of said cylinder from 'a point in the inletI chamber horizontallyalined with the inlet port, said passage and said inlet port being simultaneously opened and closed by the piston valve of the inlet chamber.

5. In an internal combustion engine, a

power cylinder, a .piston for reciprocating l'occupies the limit of -its downwardmovement.. so' that live gas entering the inlet chamber passes unobstructedly over the top of said valve in reaching said passage.

6. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, a piston reciprocating therein, inlet and exhaust valve chambers located laterally of said cylinder, said chambers having ports located in the walls thereof, reciprocating piston valves in said chambers, the exhaust chamber being in permanent open communication with the cylinder above the limit of upward movement of said piston, and the inlet chamber being in communication `with said cylinder through a passage which is uncovered by its piston valve during theV suction stroke of the piston.

In testimony whereof we aiiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

lVitnesses:

L. V. Bnooiis, H. E. DUNLAP. 

